M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Yahweh’s Plan to Rescue the Israelites
3 And Moses was a shepherd with the flock[a] of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west of the desert, and he came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. 2 And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush, and he looked, and there was the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not being consumed. 3 And Moses said, “Let me turn aside and see this great sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” 4 And Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him from the midst of the bush, and he said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 And he said, “You must not come near to here. Take off your sandals from on your feet, because the place on which you are standing, it is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face because he was afraid of looking at God.
7 And Yahweh said, “Surely I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry of distress because of their oppressors, for I know their sufferings. 8 And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from this land to a good and wide land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites[b] and the Hittites[c] and the Amorites[d] and the Perizzites[e] and the Hivites[f] and the Jebusites.[g] 9 And now, look, the cry of distress of the Israelites[h] has come to me, and also I see the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and you must bring my people, the Israelites,[i] out from Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites[j] out from Egypt?” 12 And he said, “Because I am with you, and this will be the sign for you that I myself have sent you: When you bring the people out from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.” 13 But Moses said to God, “Look, if I go to the Israelites[k] and I say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors[l] has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is his name?’ then what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “So you must say to the Israelites,[m] ‘I am sent me to you.’”
15 And God said again to Moses, “So you must say to the Israelites,[n] ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[o] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[p] appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “I have carefully attended to you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” 17 And I said, “I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites[q] and the Hittites[r] and the Amorites[s] and the Perizzites[t] and the Hivites[u] and the Jebusites,[v] to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you will go, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us please go on a journey of three days into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God.’
19 But I myself know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless compelled by a strong hand.[w] 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and I will strike Egypt with all of my wonders that I will do in its midst, and afterward[x] he will release you. 21 And I will give this people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and then[y] when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 And a woman will ask from her neighbor and from the woman dwelling as an alien in her house for objects of silver and objects of gold and garments, and you will put them on your sons and on your daughters; and you will plunder Egypt.”
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath
6 Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them[a] in their[b] hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath? 3 And Jesus answered and[c] said to them, “Have you not read this, what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry— 4 how he entered into the house of God and took the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests alone), and[d] ate it[e] and gave it[f] to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand Healed
6 Now it happened that on another Sabbath he entered into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there, and his right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and the Pharisees were watching closely[g] to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, in order that they could find a reason[h] to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand in the middle,” and he got up and[i] stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”[j] 10 And after[k] looking around at them all, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand,” and he did, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury, and began discussing[l] with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The Selection of the Twelve Apostles
12 Now it happened that in these days he went away to the mountain to pray, and was spending the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he summoned his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
The Sermon on the Plain: The Beatitudes
17 And he came down with them and[m] stood on a level place, and a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were cured. 19 And the whole crowd was seeking to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes to his disciples and[n] said,
“Blessed are the poor,
because yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are those who are hungry now,
because you will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who weep now,
Because you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to do the same things to the prophets.
The Sermon on the Plain: Woes
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
because you have received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are satisfied now,
because you will be hungry.
Woe, you who laugh now,
because you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe whenever all people speak well of you,
for their fathers used to do the same things to the false prophets.
The Sermon on the Plain: Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic also. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes away your things, do not ask for them back.[o] 31 And just as you want people to do[p] to you, do the same[q] to them.
32 “And if you love those who love you, what kind of credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if[r] you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same! 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what kind of credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal amount! 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful![s]
The Sermon on the Plain: On Judging Others
37 “And do not judge, and you will never be judged. And do not condemn, and you will never be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38 Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure—pressed down, shaken, overflowing—they will pour out into your lap. For with the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you in return.”
39 And he also told them a parable: “Surely a blind person cannot lead the blind, can he?[t] Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not superior to his[u] teacher, but everyone, when he[v] is fully trained, will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam of wood that is in your own eye? 42 How are you able to say to your brother, “Brother, allow me to remove the speck that is in your eye,” while[w] you yourself do not see the beam of wood in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye!
The Sermon on the Plain: Trees and Their Fruit
43 “For there is no good tree that produces bad fruit, nor on the other hand a bad tree that produces good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn plants, nor are grapes harvested from thorn bushes. 45 The good person out of the good treasury of his heart brings forth good, and the evil person out of his[x] evil treasury[y] brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
46 “And why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?[z]
The Sermon on the Plain: Two Houses and Two Foundations
47 “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when[aa] a flood came, the river burst against that house and was not able to shake it, because it had been built well. 49 But the one who hears my words[ab] and does not do them[ac] is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which the river burst against, and immediately it collapsed—and the collapse of that house was great!”
Zophar’s Second Speech
20 Then[a] Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts bring me back
for the sake of[b] my inward excitement.[c]
3 I hear discipline that insults me,
and a spirit beyond my understanding answers me.
4 “Did you[d] know this from of old,
since the setting of the human being on earth,
5 that the rejoicing of the wicked is short,[e]
and the joy of the godless lasts only a moment?[f]
6 Even though his stature mounts up to the heaven,
and his head reaches to the clouds,
7 he will perish forever like his dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He will fly away like a dream, and they will not find him,
and he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again,[g]
and his place will no longer behold him.
10 His children will seek favors from the poor,
and his hands will return his wealth.
11 His bones were full of his vigor,
but[h] it will lie down with him on[i] the dust.
12 “Though wickedness tastes sweet in his mouth,
and he hides it under his tongue,
13 though he spares it and does not let it go
and holds it back in the midst of his palate,
14 in his bowels his food is turned,
the venom of horned vipers is within him.[j]
15 He swallows riches, but[k] he vomits them[l] up;
God drives them[m] out from his stomach.
16 He will suck the poison of horned vipers;
the viper’s tongue will kill him.
17 He will not enjoy the streams,[n]
the torrents of honey and curds.
18 Returning the products of his toil, he will not swallow;[o]
according to the profit of his trade, he will not enjoy,[p]
19 for he has oppressed; he has abandoned the poor;
he has seized a house but[q] did not build it.
20 Because he has not known satisfaction in his stomach,
he lets nothing escape that he desires.[r]
21 There is nothing left after he has eaten;[s]
therefore his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess he will be in distress;[t]
all of misery’s power will come upon him.
23 When his stomach fills up,[u] God will send his burning anger[v] upon him,
and he will let it rain down upon him[w] as his food.
24 “He will flee from an iron weapon,
but an arrow of bronze will pierce him.
25 He draws it forth, and it comes out from his body,
and the glittering point comes from his gall-bladder;
terrors come upon him.
26 Total darkness[x] is hidden for his treasures;[y]
an unfanned fire[z] will devour him;
the remnant[aa] will be consumed[ab] in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his guilt,
and the earth will rise up against him.
28 The products of his house will be carried away[ac]
like gushing waters[ad] on the day of his wrath.
29 This is a wicked human being’s portion from God
and the inheritance of his decree from God.”[ae]
Concerning Christian Marriage
7 Now concerning the things about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to touch[a] a woman.” 2 But because of sexual immorality, let each man have[b] his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his obligation to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does. 5 Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and then you should be together[c] again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish all people could be like myself, but each one has his own gift from God, one in this way and another in that way.
8 Now I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.
10 To the married I command—not I, but the Lord—a wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if indeed she does separate, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
12 Now to the rest I say—not the Lord—if any brother has an unbelieving wife and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if any wife has an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the brother, since otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. The brother or the sister is not bound in such cases. But God has called us[d] in peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 But to each one as the Lord has apportioned. As God has called each one, thus let him live—and thus I order in all the churches. 18 Was anyone called after[e] being circumcised? He must not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? He must not become circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Each one in the calling in which he was called—in this he should remain. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not let it be a concern to you. But if indeed you are able to become free, rather make use of it. 22 For the one who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedperson. Likewise the one who is called while free is a slave of Christ. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Each one in the situation in which he was called, brothers—in this he should remain with God.
Concerning the Unmarried
25 Now concerning virgins I do not have a command from the Lord, but I am giving an opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy. 26 Therefore, I consider this to be good because of the impending distress, that it is good for a man to be thus. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you have not sinned, and if the virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have affliction in the flesh, and I would spare you. 29 But I say this, brothers: the time is shortened, that from now on even those who have wives should be as if they do not have wives, 30 and those who weep as if they do not weep, and those who rejoice as if they do not rejoice, and those who buy as if they do not possess, 31 and those who make use of the world as if they do not make full use of it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
32 But I want you to be free from care. The unmarried person cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. 33 But the one who is married cares for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, 34 and he is divided. And the unmarried woman or the virgin cares for the things of the Lord, in order that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But the married woman cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35 Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not that I may put a restriction on you, but to promote appropriate and devoted service to the Lord without distraction.
36 But if anyone thinks he is behaving dishonorably concerning his virgin, if she is past her prime[f] and it ought to be thus, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin. Let them marry. 37 But he who stands firm in his heart, not having necessity, but has authority concerning his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well. 38 So then, the one who marries[g] his own virgin does well, and the one who does not marry her will do better.
39 A wife is bound for as long a time as her husband lives. But if her husband dies[h], she is free to marry whomever she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains thus, according to my opinion—and I think I have the Spirit of God.
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